This New WhatsApp Update Lets You Know If Your Friend Is Really "OTW" Or Still In Bed
First, it was the "last seen" timestamp, then the double blue ticks and now…
By John Lim — 26 Oct 2017, 05:49 PM
Your favourite instant messaging app WhatsApp is back with an interesting new update
The Facebook-owned company announced on Wednesday that it's adding a live location-sharing feature, which enables you to share your location in real-time to contacts in your WhatsApp list.
The feature comes with the app's latest update.
It’s worth noting here that WhatsApp already allows you to share your current location. However that feature is static - if you’re moving around, friends are not able to see where you’re going
The new feature, on the other hand, lets people track where you are for a period of time stipulated by you.
It's stalking with permission, basically.
But don't worry about creeps spying on you as the feature is protected by end-to-end encryption
Here's how it works:
1. Go to an individual or group conversation that you want to share your live location with.
2. Tap the "Location" menu under the plus-shaped "Attach" button.
3. Hit "Share live location" and choose how long you want your coordinates to remain public. You can add comments too.
4. Tap send and you're good to go!
Multiple people can share their locations on the same map too
You can choose to stop sharing your location at any time.
There are plenty of uses for this feature. For one, worried parents or partners will be able to know exactly where their loved ones are late at night.
But for those who are always late for work, meetings, weddings, funerals, and birthday parties, your tardiness can be seen on the map.
Good luck because your "OTW, I'll be there ASAP" message doesn't mean a damn thing anymore.